These new textiles will not be enough to solve the huge problem of overconsumption and waste in fashion, warn experts, but they can make it possible to move towards greener techniques.

"You could potentially eat the end product," Hannes Schoenegger, co-founder of Bananatex, a firm that uses banana leaves from the Philippines to make bags, T-shirts and a line of shoes for H&M, recently remarked. sold out in two hours.

"We only collect the sides of the plant and it is already growing in the forest, so no chemicals, pesticides or even water were used" to grow it, he said.

He was speaking at the Première Vision show, organized in Paris to present to professionals in the sector the trends, colors and materials for the coming seasons.

Not far from his stand was that of Nova Kaeru, a Brazilian brand that uses the scales of the pirarucu, a giant fish from the Amazon, and the tropical plant Colocasia, to make unique leathers.

At Ananas Anam, also on display at the show, the leaves of Philippine pineapple plants, which would normally be discarded, are used to create a type of vegetable leather to make sneakers.

A fabric made from banana leaves exhibited at the "Première Vision Paris" show, in Villepinte, north of Paris, on February 10, 2022 BERTRAND GUAY AFP / Archives

The use of these fabrics is still limited but some are determined to generalize them.

Spanish brand Pyratex offers many options, from recycling waste from corn and sugarcane production to fibers from Icelandic seaweed, Chinese bamboo or Austrian wood.

"It's not about replacing cotton with just one other type of plant, but about finding a wide range of substitutes to ensure that nothing is overused," says its spokesperson, Pilar Tejada Lopez.

Nettle is of particular interest to designers because this plant, better known for its stinging effects, makes it possible to make very strong fabrics, resembling silk, which can therefore be used for everyday clothing as well as for luxury ranges. .

"Nettles have actually been used in the manufacture of clothing for centuries, but we had largely forgotten about them," points out Pilar Tejada Lopez.

"Natural Boundary"

Substitute materials are "nothing if we produce as many or even more clothes", warns Victoire Satto, of "The Good Goods" a media specializing in "responsible fashion".

Clothes, bags, and T-Shirts made from banana leaves, from the Bananatex brand, exhibited at the Première Vision show in Paris, February 10, 2022 BERTRAND GUAY AFP / Archives

They could even exacerbate the problem if produced in large volumes, for example by pushing deforestation to make way for trendy plants, she adds.

This is why companies like Bananatex and Ananas Anam refuse to go further than natural farming techniques allow.

“Our project is part of a reforestation program,” explains Hannes Schoenegger.

"There is a natural limit and we will not go beyond it because it could be harmful."

"Need these innovations"

But for Victoire Satto, we must also think about the lifespan of these so-called ecological materials, since environmental problems are also largely linked to the volume of clothes thrown away.

"If the product only lasts six months, that's huge in terms of environmental impact," she points out.

For Ifeanyi Okwuadi, a British designer, it is above all necessary to focus on the quality of the manufacture of the clothes, rather than on "organic" materials.

British designer Ifeanyi Okwnadi at the "Premiere Vision Paris" show, dedicated to suppliers to the fashion and luxury industries, at the Palais des Expositions in Villepinte, north of Paris, on February 10, 2022 BERTRAND GUAY AFP / Archives

Durability comes "from the manufacturing, down to the point of using the correct length of stitching, for each seam, because that kind of fine detail affects the longevity of the garment when you wash it," he explains.

This designer does not yet use these new textiles because "the technology is still quite primitive" but, he acknowledges, "we need these innovations".

© 2022 AFP